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Al-Shabab attack: 30 civilians killed in south Somalia

Death toll surges in Baidoa as civilians die in hospitals after bombings claimed by the armed group.

29 Feb 2016 08:07 GMT

At least 30 people were killed in twin bomb attacks claimed by al-Shabab at a busy traffic junction and a nearby restaurant in southern Somalia.

The attacks in Baidoa on Sunday were part of the armed group's campaign of violence in its effort to topple Somalia's UN-backed government.

"The official number of the dead has reached 30 people - all of them civilians - and 61 others have been wounded, 15 of them seriously," Abdirashid Abdullahi, governor of the Bay region, told the AFP news agency.

Baidoa lies about 245km northwest of the capital, Mogadishu.

The death toll went up overnight after more people died at the hospital, and could rise further with several of the wounded in critical condition, Abdullahi said.